Niger Delta mangroves
These robust shrubs and trees, which have adapted to changing coastal conditions (such as inundation, sun exposure, anaerobic soil, and salinity concentration), play a substantive role in cultivating the biodiversity and wellbeing of the surrounding landscape.
These halophytic plants, including trees, shrubs, palms, and ferns, grow in the intertidal zones of brackish waters or estuarine wetlands in tropical and subtropical regions.
The mangrove forests play a crucial role in coastal stabilization, minimizing the impact of wave action and wind energy on the shoreline, and acting as excellent inland structure defenders.
Additionally, mangroves play a crucial role as a significant resource for food, medicine, fuel, and housing for numerous individuals in Nigeria, especially those residing in coastal areas.
The decline, devastation, and deterioration of mangrove forests can be linked to several factors such as urbanization, quarrying, salt and sand extraction, pollution from industries and agro-industrial chemicals, as well as petroleum and gas exploitation.
The mangrove forest zone in Nigeria not only enhances the socio-economic prosperity of rural coastal communities but also holds promise in shielding them from severe weather occurrences intensified by climate change.
[18][19] The restoration of native mangrove ecosystems in the Niger Delta is crucial for safeguarding the forests' reproductive and productive fitness, evolutionary capacity, and adaptability to environmental changes.
The objective of preventing harmful allele fixation is to mitigate reductions in survival and reproductive capability that small populations may experience due to limited genetic diversity.
For instance, the wood of the black mangrove (Avicennia germinas) is employed in crafting "elumene" masks, and its twigs and leaves adorn the mouth of the hippopotamus masquerade during presentations.
[29] The process of ecological restoration can thus establish a connection between people and nature, kindling the local population's interest in environmental concerns and nurturing reverence and care for the ecosystems.
Additionally, the 1989 National Policy on Environment, the Millennium Development Goals Project, and various international conventions ratified by Nigeria outline actions for environmental protection and restoration.
A robust regulatory framework is essential to guide, regulate, and influence human behavior towards sustainable coastal practices, ultimately leading to successful mangrove protection and restoration.
[35][34][36] Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and charitable entities play a vital role in mobilizing various stakeholders, building capacity, and instigating behavioral shifts to achieve conservation and restoration objectives.
NGOs focusing on environmental issues, like CEHRD, are pivotal in educating and enhancing the capabilities of local communities, government agencies, and other stakeholders in mangrove restoration processes.
This involvement from the private sector can manifest as a corporate social responsibility project, a biodiversity offset, or restoration initiative driven by the polluter pays principle, or a deliberate endeavor to improve local livelihoods.
This could involve developers allocating funds for ecological restoration as compensation for utilizing land and resources and engaging in activities driven by corporate social responsibility initiatives.
In the event of mangrove oiling, the entity owning the facility should provide adequate funding for the cleanup, remediation, and restoration of the impacted ecosystem, adhering to the polluter pays principle.
Additionally, crude oil spills occur from these pipelines due to either deliberate tampering or mechanical failure, resulting in extensive destruction of the mangrove forest.
[49] These occurrences are guided by prevailing weather conditions and can result in substantial damage to mangrove forests, ultimately causing changes in their arrangement and the types of species present.
Habitat Fragmentation refers to the spatial disruptions in a biological system, where ecosystems are divided into smaller segments due to alterations in land use (e.g., agriculture) and natural disturbances.
Communities facing threats to health, livelihoods and prosperity[63] from the economic, environmental, and structural injustice resulting from local oil extraction have reacted together to fight for the indigenous right to existence and Niger Delta resource autonomy.
These encompass reclaiming land for constructing settlements, establishing fish farms, building roads and electrical infrastructure, timber logging, gathering fuelwood, engaging in oil exploration/exploitation, along with activities linked to it, improper waste disposal, and the invasion of Nypa fruticans.
The establishment of this fish farm, boasting over forty ponds, resulted in the devastation and filling of a substantial area of the mangrove forest, crucial for the livelihoods of the local population.
The escalating demand for fuelwood prompts the depletion of mangroves in multiple regions of the Niger Delta, driven by the necessity to fulfill household energy requirements and generate income.
[67] A significant factor contributing to the loss and deterioration of mangrove forests in the Niger Delta is the noticeable inadequacy in enforcing the environmental impact assessment (EIA) regulations.
In the Niger Delta Region, multinational oil corporations frequently evade accountability for pollution and spills, particularly in marine and coastal ecosystems, unlike the stringent regulations observed in many developed countries.
A 2013 GIS study conducted by Oluwagbenga Ol Orimoogunje and Opeyemi Ajibola- James analyzed the recovery capability of oil exposed mangroves in two polluted Niger Delta sites.
Consequently, the ongoing pace of mangrove deforestation and degradation in the Niger Delta Region, with no efforts towards restoration, will undeniably heighten the susceptibility of coastal communities in the area to extreme weather events.
[81] Additional socio-economic consequences may encompass effects on public health, employment, income generation, shifts in population and ethnic patterns, and the necessity for relocating families impacted by extreme weather events.
Consequently, the current extensive mangrove destruction, coupled with extreme weather events induced by climate change, is poised to result in substantial and profound economic losses.
